Even Scout and Jem never know the real him. They think he is a monster. “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his track; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained…” (Lee 14). The children did not know he was a good man until he saved them.
Scout Finch is not an ordinary girl, and she does not want to be. Everything about her life proves a little bit out of the ordinary, especially the mysteries of her town. Things start to get even more odd than usual when a neighbor’s nephew, Dill, arrives. He has an untamed curiosity that also boosts Scout’s wonder to figure out the truth of the Radley house next door and the mysterious Boo Radley who lives there. While many questions surround Scout, her father takes a case that will change all of their lives.
Though rumor has it that they Mr. and Mrs. Radley hide Boo from the town since now the Radley place consisted of , “rain-rotted shingles drooped over the eaves of the veranda;oak trees kept the sun away” (8). This asserts that everyone thought he was a bad guy because of his prison time. In addition, most of the children in Maycomb including Scout and Jem have assume for a fact that ,“ inside the house lived a malevolent phantom called Boo Radley”(8). This shows how rumors lie about his story since in the end he was actually just a nice guy as he saved Scout and Jem from Ewell's assault. This proves his symbol of goodness in him because of willingly came out of the house that he stayed in for 15 years.
The book follows her perspective throughout her next few years and the people she encounters during this time. One of these characters that Scout meets is Boo Radley. Boo is an interesting local who throughout the book is seen to fit the theme very well, by showing new sides of him that would not be expected because of his appearance. Another character that is meet along the way is Tom
Later in the story Boo gets to be known for who he really is. First, Boo is really shy because when Boo saves Scout and jem from getting hurt by bob ewell he hides behind the door where Jem is laying down. In the book “Boo saw Jem run instinctively to the bed where Jem was sleeping, with Boo same shy smile he crept across his face” (ch.29-31). Also another example that his shy is when he comes out in the night. In the book “ In the beginning people think his creepy because he does everything in the night”(ch.29-31)
Boo has helped Scout change her viewpoint from thinking that he’s a scary person who always stays inside to finding out that he actually cares about her and chooses to live inside because he prefers to stay where he can observe what’s going on in the town and protect people when needed, which helps teach Scout that you can’t assume things without knowing the facts. Scout starts out believing that Boo is a mean person who is out to her her and she quickly learns that Boo’s intentions aren’t to hurt her, but rather help her when she needs it most. For example, in the beginning of the book Scout was scared of Boo Radley and the Radley house as shown, “I ran by the Radley house as fast as I could, not stopping till I reached our porch”(Lee 44).
Overtime, Scout realizes that they are just disrupting Boo, and decides to stop trying to lure him outside. She almost completely forgets about Boo, until he saves both her and Jem from Mr. Ewell who was attacking them. When Scout first saw Boo, she teared up, since she only fantasized about that very moment. Curiosity struck Scout and her
McCain – 1 The Mockingbirds: Who They Are The book To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee takes place in the small community of Maycomb County, Alabama. The story, based on the Scottsboro Boys case, is about a black man who is falsely accused of raping a young white woman. Atticus Finch, the lawyer of Tom Robinson and father of the protagonist, defends the accused and needs to balance what is morally right with what the local community desires. A key message in this story is that you should stand up for what is right.
In The Gettysburg Gospel, Gabor Boritt elucidates conjectures on Lincoln’s writing methodology concerning the Gettysburg Address “swings between two extremes” (Boritt 14). The themes ambit divine inspiration and transitory work that led to instantaneous corollary to what some scholars, such as Garry Wills, postulate as perpetual revelations and meticulous work that lead to an evolving causatum. Boritt believes that many writers and scholars have perceived predispositions; “It takes a heroic effort for the students of Lincoln to separate themselves from their subjects. Most of us fail to a smaller or larger degree” (Boritt 11). This is judicious for the “Lincoln’s Address was written spontaneously” argument.
Boo Radley is Scout's neighbor, Scout, Jem, and Dill continually mess with Boo throughout the novel. When Boo was younger generation was arrested for disorderly conduct and disrupting the town. As punishment Boo’s very religious dad locked him in the house for the next 15 years. Rumors began to circulate because Boo was never seen. Jem describes, “he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained… what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped” (Lee 16).
(20) Jem’s exaggerated description demonstrates the community’s intense prejudice towards Boo Radley. The people are able to alienate a member based off of speculations. Scout, an innocent member of Maycomb, has grown up with the idea that Boo acts and looks like
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee many characters are victims of the harsh conditions of Maycomb County. Often those who are seen to be metaphorical mockingbirds are punished the most. A mockingbird is one who only wants and attempts to do good. Characters such as Boo Radley, Jem Finch and Tom Robinson are exemplars of mockingbirds in Maycomb. In the novel it is explained by Atticus that killing a mockingbird is a sin because they do not do anything to harm to us like nesting in corncribs, or eating up the gardens, they only sing for us.
In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee shows that we shouldn’t be too quick to judge another person’s character based on outward appearance and the stories and rumors we have heard. The character Boo Radley is a perfect example of why we shouldn’t be hasty to judge. On the outside, Boo looks like a scary neighbor that lives just a few houses away. “.....he had sickly white hands that had never seen the sun. His face was as white as his hands…..”
He is accountable for creating many themes as well affecting the actions and development of other characters. Furthermore, he plays a major role in the maturation of Jem and Scout. Jem, Scout, and Dill are fascinated by the rumors of Boo Radley around them. People in Maycomb perceive Boo as someone who, “dined on raw squirrels and cats” and “the teeth he had were yellow and rotten”(16). This quote shows the people’s impression of Boo and how they affect the childrens in the book.
Boo Radley never harmed anyone, but was victimized by the social prejudice of the Maycomb community. Although not established until the end of the novel, Boo Radley is set up to be the last discovered symbolic character for the image of the mockingbird. Harper Lee has done this to illustrate all points of injustice in the 1930s societal town of Maycomb, where rumours and old tales define Boo's life story rather than his authentically generous heart and personality. During the concluding chapter of the novel, Scout comes to the realization that blaming Boo for Bob Ewell's death would be "sort of like shootin' a mockingbird." Boo does many kind-hearted things in the novel such as leaving gifts in the knot-hole for Scout and Jem, repairing Jem's pants, putting the blanket on Scout discretely in order to keep her warm, and even saving them from the evil Bob Ewell.
